Plans for Google data centre in Dublin rejected over energy concerns

The South Dublin County Council rejected Google’s new data centre because it’s not clear how much energy it will take away from the national grid.

A city council in Ireland rejected a proposal for a Google data centre because they didn’t have enough energy to support it. 
Google Ireland wanted to expand its headquarters at Grange Castle Business Park located south of Dublin by developing a 72,400 square metre data centre with data halls, staff facilities, and other support, according to records from the South Dublin County Council. 
In adecision issued on August 23, the council decided Google’s proposal doesn’t have enough information about how the data centre would affect the power grid if it becomes operational in 2027, making it “contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area”.
The council also said there is a “lack of significant on-site renewable energy” to power the proposed development in its decision. 
Recent statistics from Ireland’s Central Statistics Office show that data centres use more of the central power grid’s energy than Ireland’s urban households, at 21 per cent and 18 per cent respectively. 
An International Energy Agency (IEA) report published in January estimated data centres will make up 32 per cent of Ireland’s electricity by 2026 if the market for them continues to grow. 
There are more than 80 data centres in Ireland, according to a 2023 report from consulting firm Bitpower. 
The site for the data centre is part of Google Ireland’s Data Centre Campus, one of its major power centres in Europe. 
Euronews Next reached out to Google Ireland but did not receive an immediate reply.
In 2011, Google invested an initial €75 million to convert a warehouse in West Dublin into the company’s third “energy-efficient” data centre in Europe, according to the company. That investment has gone up to €500 million to operate that data centre. 
Google’s preexisting centre has an “advanced air cooling system” that uses Ireland’s weather to keep the data centre running so it doesn’t require “any costly, power-hungry air conditioning units,” the company added. 
“This is part of our effort to use as little energy as possible and operate in an environmentally responsible manner,” it continued. 
Google claims that its data centres are 1.8 times more efficient than other enterprise data centres because they’ve reduced their overhead energy, like cooling and power conversion, to roughly 10 per cent. 
Google Ireland has four weeks to appeal the South Dublin County Council’s ruling, according to thepublished decision.